| Tom Morris. 16th July, 2005 - 3:18 am
 In the last week or so, the unimaginable has happened. Occurrences so rare as to shake us out of our collective (un)consciousness. That's right, I write of starting pitching. More specifically, good starting pitching by the Baltimore Orioles, and it has happened in three straight games now, four of the last five. Last night, hard-throwing right-hander Daniel Cabrera was the latest installment of this new phenomenon. The youngster righted himself after a rough second inning, going on to allow only one more baserunner the rest of the game, and more importantly guiding the Orioles to a 5 - 3 victory over the Mariners in front of 36,316 fans at SafeCo Field in Seattle.
Jay Gibbons hit a two-run home run, and Sal Fasano provided a game-tying solo shot for the Orioles, who continued their recent winning ways, moving to within one game of the AL East Division-leading Boston Red Sox.
The Orioles found themselves behind early again, as the Mariners scratched out three runs against Cabrera in the second inning. After a basehit and a hit batter, Willie Bloomquist hit a single to right which scored Adrian Beltre and Jeremy Reed when Reed was unsuccessfully thrown out on his way to third base. On the errant throw, Bloomquist came all the way around to third on the play, then subsequently scored on a wild pitch by Cabrera, which gave Seattle the 3 - 0 advantage. But that was all they would ever again muster against the 22 year-old, who gave one of his strongest outings this year.
Said manager Lee Mazzilli, "He was absolutely outstanding. He had one bad inning where he got knocked around a little. After that it was just lights out".
The Orioles got on the board in the fourth, when a guy by the name of Rafael Palmeiro --and, yes, I'll talk about him soon enough, don't you worry -- singled. Jay Gibbons then followed by launching a 3-2 pitch deep to right field to pull Baltimore within one run, 3 - 2. It was Gibbons' fourteenth homer of the year. Later Sal Fasano led off the fifth inning with his eighth home run, tying the game at three apiece, by hitting the first pitch he saw into the first row of the center field stands. Sacrifice flies by Larry Bigbie and Sammy Sosa gave the Orioles the lead, and as mentioned they were more than enough insurance for Daniel Cabrera, who seemed unfazed by his shaky second inning. He worked quickly, threw mostly strikes, effectively changed speeds, and made only 97 pitches in eight innings of work. By winning his third straight start the right-hander improved his record to 8 - 7, lowering his ERA to 4.70 for the season. B.J. Ryan came on to strike out the side in the ninth to record his 20th save in 23 chances, preserving the victory. In all, other than the second inning, the two pitchers combined for no-hit ball against one of the American League's least remarkable offenses.
For Seattle, Aaron Sele pitched an average game, going 6 innings while allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk, dropping his record to 6 - 9 and lifting his ERA to 4.77 for the year. Ichiro Suzuki went 0 -for- 4, ending the right-fielder's 11-game hitting streak.
Meanwhile, in an unexpected move, Baltimore skipper Mazzilli placed struggling Sammy Sosa in the # 2 spot for the game after a talk the two had before the game about Sosa's problems at the plate. This move --meant to give Sosa more strikes and good pitches to swing at, as well as to lessen the pressure to drive in runs-- did not immediately pay off, despite Sammy's ninth-inning sacrifice fly. He went 0 -for- 4 for the night, dropping his batting average to .222.
Something else was going on at this game. Something, you might say, that ...hmm... OK, I got it --captivated all who were watching around the country! Rafael Palmeiro continued his drive to collect hit # 3000 for his career, putting him in the elite company of Mays, Aaron and Murray as the only Major Leaguers ever to do so while also amassing over 500 home runs. Until now, I've been avoiding the topic because it has already saturated the print and television media over the last 24 hours, and I do not have a fresh angle to give all of you. Anyway, he fell one hit short, as you most likely know by now, going 1 -for- 3 with a single, walking his last time at the plate, and just missing his fifth at-bat when Miguel Tejada grounded back to the pitcher in the ninth, with two on and two out. Camera flashes sparkled with each pitch during Palmeiro's last two times at the plate, illuminating an already stellar chapter in baseball history. And those who attended tonight's game will have to come back to SafeCo again tomorrow if they want a shot at seeing this milestone get achieved live and in-person.
Palmeiro continues to focus his attention on the Baltimore Orioles, wishing to continue their win streak on their way to the playoff run. He knows, as we all do, that barring any major catastrophe, he will get the hit. It is a dead lock. What is not for sure is what will become of the Orioles the rest of the season in the AL East.
Only time --and starting pitching-- will decide that fate. As for the milestone, whether hit # 3000 happens for the 39 year-old tomorrow, Saturday --or even August 31st, let's say-- noone knows for sure. One thing is certain. Future First-Ballot Hall-of-Famer Rafael Palmeiro will be graced with a standing ovation by all who get to see it, in whatever city and stadium the first baseman gets to hit it in. And as it should be. |
